Downtown project: Q and A

On Dec. 27, the Petoskey City Council made a decision which supporters of a downtown redevelopment proposal had looked forward to as a key step in moving the project forward.

The council's 3-1 vote provided the zoning changes needed for Lake Street Petoskey Associates to rework the block bounded by Mitchell, Petoskey and Lake streets and U.S. 31. The firm's plans for a new hotel, residential condominiums, parking garage, conference center, bank and commercial space there began to take shape about two years ago.

But in the past 11 days, challenges to the zoning decision have emerged. Project supporters and opponents continue to differ on what redevelopment would mean for downtown views, parking availability, tax revenues for local units of government and more.

What follows are some common questions about recent and ongoing issues surrounding the project, with answers provided.

1. What challenges does the project face?

On Dec. 28, Petoskey resident Dawn Daras-Cartwright and other volunteers launched a petition drive requesting that city officials revisit the zoning change. After such petitions are turned in with the necessary signatures, the city's charter allows the council to take steps such as putting the disputed issue on the ballot for voters to accept or reject.

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On Dec. 31 - three days prior to his swearing-in as Petoskey's mayor - Ted Pall submitted a proposal to undo the downtown zoning change for the city council's agenda. When the council met Monday, it voted 3-2 to delay consideration of Pall's controversial idea until city attorney Bridget Brown Powers has had a chance to advise them on its potential implications. The mayor voted against delaying the repeal process, as did new 4th Ward council member David Austin.

2. Why do some oppose the project?

Pall said his stance against the redevelopment plans is something that a significant majority of the residents he spoke with during this year's mayoral campaign shared.

"My job as an elected official is to do what those people want," he said. "That's the whole intent of a representative government. People run on issues and govern accordingly."

Pall said some concerns that have emerged for him and other residents include: a physical scale for the project that seems excessive for downtown surroundings; traffic which the development would generate, especially in summer; and issues surrounding Petoskey's plans for purchasing the lower level of the parking garage after it's built to city specifications.

Pall said the purchase would not net the city an increase in the number of parking spaces currently available on the block. With this - and public access to the parking - in mind, he said a city purchase of the smaller, upper floor of the garage would seem to make more sense for the city. But city staff have said that using the lower parking level would help them separate public parking spaces from those intended for the project's occupants and guests.

Daras-Cartwright said the project's building scale - which she believes is in conflict with the rest of downtown - is her key reason for challenging the plans.

"For me, it's the scale and maintaining the historic integrity of downtown Petoskey," she said, adding that she's also concerned how the estimated two years of construction required for the project would affect nearby businesses.

Downtown retailer Bill Cutler has also criticized the project on aesthetic issues, believing its maximum height of about seven stories is excessive for a small Northern Michigan town.

To Cutler, other members of the downtown business community - rather than city residents in general - seem to be the project's core local supporters. But he believes that the project's scale could work against downtown retailing, particularly during tourist season.

"One of my main worries is that we'll actually get a backlash from our summer customer," he said. "That's our lifeblood, our summer customer.

"I'm really worried that they could think we screwed up a nice little town in Northern Michigan."

3. Why do others support the project?

Some local residents point to the proposed project as a visual improvement over the vacant lots and rear sides of current buildings visible at the downtown entry point.

Downtown property owner and Petoskey planning commissioner John Jorgensen said he and others in the downtown community have sought to improve the block's appearance for 25 years.

"This developer has tried to accomplish what (consulting firm HyettPalma's economic development plan), the master plan, the planning commission and city staff have tried to accomplish on that site," he said.

To Jorgensen, the project's mass as shown in plans doesn't seem much different than what existing downtown blocks would convey if shown in two-dimensional drawings. He noted revisions during the project's planning process - like multiple facades and color variations - to make it appear as if built over time.